Until Morning Arrives
by Houyoku
Summary: [one-shot] [PG-13 for Violence -in case-] A grudge is formed by the seeds of hatred. Until that seed takes root and grows into terrible abhorrence. One man carries such a vengeance that must be satisfied. Forgiveness is not an option.


**Until Morning Arrives**

By Becki o

Skies of Arcadia (C) Sega

Blah blah blah, I know, corny title, but please bear with me ..

I wanted to write a fanfiction 'bout Ramirez, but it seems there are already a lot of those.. so I decided to choose a 'not so popular' character to write about. Actually, a 'not at all popular' character..

This one-shot will be my first Skies of Arcadia fic, and it will also be the first fiction that I have flashbacks and stuff.. I'm normally not fond of flashbacks because if not executed well, they can be corny/confusing, and my writing is confusing as it is .; But for your reference, flashbacks will be in _italics._ Got it?

Becki

-------------------------------------------------------------

Violently swerving on the rudder, he took a hard, firm grip on the tiller. His artificial arm glistened in the violet light of the moon, and his uncovered eye looked across the horizon. There was a painful cry that echoed so loudly that it gave a deep shudder in the air, knocking the boat hard to the side. With a grunt he grabbed the side of the tiller to keep his feet planted on the ground.

When he regained his balance he looked down the chain at the bow of his ship, the gold chain that led down into a long pointed harpoon. The chain rigidly tensed and loosened threateningly as the harpoon was shook up by the figure it was encased in.

The harpoon stuck fast into the purplish thick skin that encased the protected flesh beneath. He let out a breath and put both of his hands on the tiller and focused on steering the ship as gently as he could, lest the harpoon gave way from the violent throwing motions his prey made, and release his capture.

The whale that was trapped by the harpoon and chain thrashed again violently in the air, forcing the boat with him. The man laughed softly under his breath, his expression harder than the ice they flew over.

"Not today, Rhaknam. You will not escape me.."

---------------------

_"Father! Father, look at this!" The young boy made his way down the deck as the sailors were swabbing and nearly slipped and fell, catching himself by placing his palm on the floor. Standing back up he brushed the dirty blonde hair away from his eager violet eyes and continued to come down._

_A man that stood at the bow of the ship turned to look at the youth. He was a strongly built man, his longish, graying hair tied at the base of his neck. His face was distinguishing, he had a kind expression and a distinctive nose. With a grin he turned away to completely face the excited boy._

_"Jack, what's caught yer attention so?" He asked. His voice was loud but pleasant, and he leaned down to look at kid._

_"Father, I finally found one." Jack said excitedly, opening a small mahogany polished box. The father waited as he picked out a single white feather, tipped with a hint of soft blue. He held it up for his father to see, and the man took it and studied the design._

_"The Blue-Winged Albatross." Jack stated with some pride. He was a small boy, but his face clearly said that he was older.. perhaps fifteen or so years. It was unusual, the boy's father was so big boned and muscular at the arms, and there was a strong contrast between the two. _

_"Hadn't ya found one just the week passed?" The father remarked almost ignorantly, but Jack smiled patiently and took back the feather._

_"No father, t'was the Obsidian Gull. They look similar but are of completely different species." He explained. "Mister Diego said that he saw a flock of 'em last night in the light of the Silver Moon." _

_"Cap'n!" The both of them turned to see the sailors all watching them. One of them, a burly youth with a bluish bandana raised his arm and grinned a crooked grin. "There's a school of Sky Sardis comin' o'er. Shall we lower the nets?" _

_"Aye." The Father nodded, and started to approach them, putting one hand on his son's head fondly, ruffling his messy hair. "We may get a good catch today, Jack."_

_"Aye." Jack echoed, his mind abstract. He went over to the side of the ship and placed his box of feathers on a crate, leaning over the railing, towards the sky and beyond. _

_"Li'l Jack's a bred fisherman." One of the crewmates laughed as he continued to swab the deck with the stringy mop. "The love for sailin's deep in his bones." _

_"'Tis true." Jack replied with a grin, laying his forearms on the ship's banisters. "'There isn't a thing in the world I'd exchange for my place. I wake every mornin' with the thought of what wonders will be revealed to me today..."_

---------------------

There was a deafening screech as the small boat slid parallel through a narrow valley of glass-like ice. Rhaknam twisted and contorted in all directions, and dove under the clouds, beneath the glaciers. The old sailor coughed held fast to the tiller, his eyes following the whale's every movement. Icicles grew closer and shattered on the glass pane that separated him from the world, leaving dents and cracks.

Some of these collisions caught him off guard, and he was thrown from his place before the wheel. He rolled against the crates that were shoved against the walls and got up, dizzy from the jarring lights. With poor point of reference, he had a difficult time getting back up, but his patience had not yet run thin. Getting back up he caught the flying tiller and steadied the steering.

When he looked through the windows he saw in amazement the sights before him.

Buildings like crystal sparkled in the thin luminescence that the thick layers of ice above filtered. They hung upside down--indeed like icicles-- their steeples sharp and windows intricate. They dazzled as if covered in frost, or, as if they were made of ice themselves.

Rhaknam convulsed again and roared with echoing pain.

No. Not this time. He would not wait through any more long, desperate years.

---------------------

_"Jack..! Jack!"_

_The boy sleepily came to his senses, and looked up for his caller. The captain looked at his son fondly and laughed._

_"You've got a line on yer forehead." He commented, rubbing his own forehead with his large hand. Jack pressed a finger on the indents that ran across his brow and shared his father's laughter._

_"Haha! I suppose that's what I get for fallin' asleep on the rail." He said lightly and lowered his hand. "By the moons, though, I'm tired." He rested his forearms again on the banister and looked beyond the stars, his deep eyes longing. The Father sat silently and listened to the quiet night. The gentle breeze whistling at his ears, the gentle hum of the ship's engine vibrating. There was a serenity far more mysterious than the blanket of stars, or the moons that radiated in the distance. Jack's breathing was subtle, his expression mixed with confusion and weariness. His hand was at his temple, brushing away the fair hair that fell on his forehead._

_"Go to bed, Jack." The Captain said suddenly, gently. Jack snapped out of his tranquil state and blinked at his father, his eyes puzzled. _

_"I've got lookout duty tonight, Cap'n." He responded formally, turning his head to one side. _

_"Nah, go t'bed. I'll take yer shift." _

_"But Father--" He started, but the Captain raised his hand, signaling his stubbornness. Jack slowly smiled and stood, giving a simple nod. "Goodnight. May the moons keep you 'till morning arrives."_

---------------------

The ship came to a screeching halt, and there was a terrible, dark crash.

Ice splintered through the windshield, and darkness descended like rain.

The boat had landed sideways, its bottom touching thick walls of ice. The man forced the door of his cabin open and jumped out, balancing himself with the artificial arm attached to his shoulder. He coughed and laughed cruelly, great vapors evaporating up as he breathed. The air was cold.

"I've got you now." He rasped, raising his great bronze arm and looking at the purple figure just a few leagues away. He spit on the snow covered ground, and caught his breath. "Ha..ha.. I've got you."

Abhorrently, he turned to examine the giant harpoon on his ship, making sure it hadn't taken any damage. Even if his boat was destroyed, it could not please him more to see that the cannons were unharmed. Even if it meant he could not leave this place. Even if it meant that he would be stranded there until his life's end.

Rhaknam gave another wail. A flinching sound that was not from pain, but of something deeper and far more tragic. It echoed against the shelves of ice, maximizing the volume as it bounced off the walls. The man stopped still and touched the rail of his ship, listening, waiting.

The archwhale almost _sobbed_ with hurt.

And in the distance, he could hear a boy's voice, calling, crying..

---------------------

_"Father! What are you doing?!" _

_The Captain jerked up surprised, lowering his arm. His son clasped his burly arm, with deep concern on his face._

_The small swallow's breast heaved, its ruffled brown feathers smeared with crimson. Beady, wet eyes frightfully looked up at the shining metallic blade the man held in his hand, dangerously close to it. Long brown wings were tattered, and the feathers torn. The Captain drew back his knife._

_"Jack, the little bird's dying. I want nothing more than t'put it out of its misery." He said gently, but Jack carefully undid his father's fingers from the bird's trembling form and curled it in his own palms, softly and gently. The Captain gave a slight hint of a frown._

_"Jack, it will not live long. It's best fer it to die without slow pain."_

_"Shh.." The boy said, coaxing the creature. He held the bird up and ignored the sticky blood that stained his hands. He felt how the frail body relaxed as it touched his warm, kind palms. With a serious expression, he turned up his eyes towards his father, and almost pleaded. "Father. Let me watch over it. Even.. even if I can't save it.. it should die a peaceful death that was not forced."_

_The Captain looked down and watched the swallow, and a small smile formed on his face. Affectionately, he raised his hand and placed it on Jack's head._

_"Aye. Do what you can then, Jack." He flipped the knife's blade under the wooden covering and tucked it back under his belt. "Do what you can."  
"Thank you, father." _

---------------------

It was impossible to retrieve his harpoon. It was so thickly embedded into the tough blubber of the whale.

The man unlocked a door below deck, and let the door fall open. A musty, fish-like scent wafted about and mixed with the room. Inside, old fishing nets were hung, forever drying on the walls. Blades of all types were sorted out, and large crates creaked against the wooden floor. He approached his arsenal of blades and picked out a huge harpoon, with a thick rope running down the shaft.

One blow. It was all he needed.

When he returned outside, the air was colder than before. He looked at Rhaknam, his eyes cold and unforgiving. He was close enough to throw his weapon and end it all. To end his misery.

As he wound back his arm to deliver the final blow, everything seemed to slow down. Those large, scaly purple eyes looked back at him, waiting as he waited. There was no sound, except for Rhaknam's wailing breathing.

The man moved to throw the harpoon...

Only to drop it on the ice, and fall to his knees.

---------------------

_A fire erupted on the stern of the ship, roaring high in the night's firmament. Orders were called out, the wood crackled. Smoke rose._

_The Captain swung around and watched in horror as the fire steadily consumed the boat. Dust flew up in the violent wind, shrouding them all. One of the sailors yelled to him._

_"The engine ignited and caught aflame, Cap'n!" He said worriedly. "What are your orders?"_

_"Put it out!" The Captain said the obvious order loudly, but nobody laughed. His heart thumping, he looked around the deck and surveyed the situation._

_A horrid cry drowned out all other noises, and the winds were powerful enough to topple the ship over. The large silhouette of a whale loomed over them, narrowly missing the sails. The shadow glided over the deck, a temporary eclipse from the Yellow Moon._

_"Cap'n!?" He turned upon hearing his name. Jack looked shocked as he appeared from the stairs that came from below decks, he was holding a small, wooden box. He looked all around to see the reason for the commotion. The captain pointed at his son and gave another order._

_"Stay back, Jack! The men can handle this!" But as he was doing so, another sailor cried out._

_"He's comin' back!" The whale did a half moon turn and was coming directly towards the ship again, the dust of the wind only letting them make out its shape._

_"Ready the cannons!" The Captain exclaimed. "We'll take it out before it can get 'ere!" _

_The reaction and obedience was instant. The large cannon groaned against the ground, and was quickly secured by ropes. Someone rolled in a large cannonball, and another person clumsily lit a match for the ignition._

_The ship lurched back as the cannon fired. Jack caught onto the mast and watched as the cannon fired towards the whale, his expression fearful. The Captain squinted to see through the shroud of dust, to see if their mark was hit._

_The cannon's shell exploded on the whale's hard surface, causing minimal damage. The creature glided over the ship once more as if blind, and the mast caught onto one of its fins. There was a loud cracking noise, and someone.. Jack, called out his name._

_"Cap'n!" _

_The man looked up and moved too late as the mast crashed down at him. He was knocked to the side, his arm trapped beneath the wood. He released a mild bellow of pain, and went to get his arm from under it. Instantly the sailors came to help their captain, and helped lifting the pillar for him to take his arm out._

_When he was about to do so, he realized that he couldn't move it.. The nerve system had been severed. Part of his skin was severed, and blood was freely flowing. Using his other hand to raise his limp arm, he held it by the elbow and grimaced in pain. Jack hurried to his fathers side and stepped back upon seeing the swelling violet-green color spreading down his father's arm._

_"Father!" _

_The ship was out of control. It hurled in the wind, unable to be steadied. The helmsman stuttered, choking in the dust and tried to steady the tiller. The fire continued to spread, unchanged by the wind. _

_Many voices called the Captain's name out at once. He watched on helplessly as the fire spread, charring his own ship to black._

_"Abandon ship!" He cried out for all to hear. It wounded him to say thus. "Abandon ship!"_

_The small life boats on deck were limited, but there were just enough for the small crew. Jack worked along the sailors to undo the knots, but the Captain ordered him to board one of the ships immediately. _

_The Captain himself was undoing the knot at Jack's boat when the secondary mast fell, aflame at the sails. The boat started to collapse, the flames consuming all the wood. The Captain lifted Jack's lifeboat with him still in it to set it sailing. _

_"Father, wait!" Jack protested, shooting a glance at the other occupied crew members. _

_If this had not been enough, the arcwhale bellowed. Time passed so slowly as the growing figure rammed into the aflame ship. Pain jarred into his head as something fell and was shoved into his eye. Blood ran like tears down the man's face, and he coughed and scratched at his eyes. Without any frame of reference, he fell back into the boat where Jack was and the lifeboat sped down into the sky with the two of them in it, away from the crew, away from their small fishing ship._

_When the Captain was finally able to see through his one unharmed eye, he saw Jack's aghast face and turned to see what his son was looking at._

_The fishing ship was falling, Speeding towards Deep Sky, trailing with black smoke, blacker than the clouds. Figures of men could be seen falling from the deck, into the clouds, through death and beyond it._

_Another burst of wind escaped the whale's fins, catching both horrified father and son by surprise. The lifeboat dangerously jerked to one side. Feathers of various colors floated beyond the man's eyes as he caught the banister of the small boat. He heard a wrenching cry for help and his heart was torn._

_Jack was overboard, his hand had caught the rail. The fingers were gnarled and splintered against the rail, cracked and bleeding. His other hand held a bunch of feathers. _

_"Jack!" The Captain went to come to his aid, but his dominant hand was also the injured one. He remembered it too late. _

_The last wave of air was the last. _

_It was too much. Too much blood had escaped through his eyes and arm. Too much darkness rushed in too pitilessly to steal away his consciousness. As time played cruelly upon him.. as the moment mercilessly stole upon him._

_The last thing he remembered before the darkness took him was Jack's terrified face. When his hands slipped on the shining blood. When he fell away, and screamed, clutching the feathers in his hand. When he was greeted by the overwhelming darkness unblessed by the moons._

---------------------

He sat, leaning against the cold ice. His eyes shut tight, fists clenched as the nightmares passed. The darkness was inescapable. His metallic arm and covered eye... they would never let him forget. In the distance, he could hear that voice of innocence crying out to him. In a plead to spare a swallow's life, in excitement of new knowledge. He could hear that voice telling him once more when the day was done.

_May the moons keep you 'till morning arrives._

---------------------

_When he came to, the sun was shining brightly into his eyes. A solitary boat lay in the dark soil upon land. Blood spilled crimson on his shirt, and the humidity was strong. Dark clouds were all around, the light rumble of thunder in the backdrop._

_Groggily the world finally came into focus. Terrible hatred began to simmer, a hatred with no roots._

_The morning came like it had before. Despite the living. Despite the dead._

_He groaned and covered his injured eye. His scratched hand ran along the rails of the crashed lifeboat, and met a soft wooden surface._

_The box's lid slid open, and an array of colorful feathers spilled out. A few caught the wind, and floated away on the gale of morning. A single, ruffled brown feather coated in red drew his eyes and gently soared down, twirling as it went. _


End file.
